Aneurin Bevan was born in Tredegar in 1897 and maintained close links with this town throughout his life. After his death in 1960 his ashes were scattered on the local hills. He was the son of a collier, who found school extremely difficult but through intense personal effort and discipline became, not only a leading politician, but also a lover of art, literature and music. This DVD illustrates the association between Aneurin’s upbringing in Tredegar, where he developed his understanding of the link between poor housing and disease and his appreciation of the good work of the Medical Society. Linking both he was inspired to bring into being Britain’s National Health Service. During his 63 years of life, Tredegar became progressively ‘Bevan’s Town’, and his legacy remains still.
This DVD is comprised of 3 hours of interviews, reenactments, and archival footage which explore the experience of the Welsh coal miner and the history of mining in Wales from the seventeenth century to the collapse of the British coal industry in the 1980s.
